Lionel Messi could be on the verge of ending his glorious 18-year tenure in European football, according to reports.
And should the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner bring his spell with Paris Saint-Germain to a close in the January transfer window, it will mean that Liverpool will avoid the prospect of coming face-to-face with the former Barcelona legend in the Champions League knockout stages.
Messi, now 35, joined PSG in August last year and helped the capital club clinch the Ligue 1 title, but with his contract due to expire next summer it appears that a lucrative switch across the Atlantic to Major League Soccer could be on the cards.